The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-29
RABBITS AS BUTCHERS.
How Jewish Customers in New York Have
Poultry Slain for Them.

How Jewish Customers New York Have
Poultry Slain for Them.
New York Evening sun.
It is not known how many butchers are inter
ested in the poultry, but every one in the city
who serves conforming Jewish customers pat
ronizes this place. Friday is the best Gay for
killing, and the slaughter begins about o'clock
in the morning 1t continues then until all the
fowls have tapped their last flap. and most of
them have been carted away to the butcher
shops: Thursday is the next pest day in sum.
mer; but in the winter time Wednesdays and
Fridays ara the great days of slaughter Yes
terday 1.160 more less fat bipeds had their
threats cut at this sanguinary spot, and to-day
10, 600 or 900 have undergone the same pro-
Saturday is the only day IN the week that
the big coops anything like empty. 1t be-
ing the Jewish Sabbath, butchering is postponed
until Sunday.
One would think that it required good many
experienced butchers to dispatch such large
number of fowls, but the method OF killing is SO
simple and rapid that few men can readily
do the work in a few hours. Each owner
butcher of fowls employs his regular rabbi to do
the killing, and sometimes there are as many as
necks of chickens. ducks and geese in this dead
house of feathery creation. Eleven rabbis are
constantly employed. An expert and fast killer
easily kill 175 fowls an hour.
The basement where the slaughtering is done
is a room about sixty feet in depth and thirty
wide. Around the wall projecting hooks
upon which the condemned roosters ganders
are hung in punches of three. The birds are al
ways hung ND in lunches with the head down.
ward The rabbi. clothed in a big leather
apron. which envelopes almost the entire body,
stands on the edge of trough. into which the
blood from his victims flows, and neatly
does the fated throat-sltting. The knife
he uses is OF fine steel. about three inches long
in the blade, and thin, something like
that of a shoemaker The butcher straightens
out the neck of the bird. carefully brushes away
the feathers. and with quick movement draws
the knife across the birds neck at the craw He
then gives it little squeeze to be sure that the
throat is severed. and takes UP another fowl.
No stop is made, except to wipe the blade Of the
knife when it gets too bloody. or to sharpen it
when 1t gets dull.
Mr. Chas Wolf. who manages the place. es
corted the reporter about the building the other
morning. Il was about o'clock. and four rab'
bis were at work. All of them wore long boards,
and were despatched with the blood of the
fowls they had killed. After making an incsion
in the necks the birds are left han ng until all
the blood has dripped out. and are then thrown
into a wagon and carted away to the butcher
shop of the owner, to be EXPOSED for sale.
In speaking Of the business MIR. Wolf said:
Gin the summer time we kill An average of five
thousand chickens day. three thousand ducks,
one hundred turkeys and / 400 geese. In win
ter a great many more turkeys and geese are
killed The rabbi receives cent for each fowl
he kills. This If paid to him by the butcher"